A Heart Under The Greed
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: King Dice proves that he can be a good guy if given a chance. :)


**Okay, this idea came to me and I just had to write it. :)**

 **A/N: I'm not overly familiar with King Dice, so he'll only show up here and there in stories depending on my muse.**

 **Cuphead belongs to Studio MDHR. I own nothing.**

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 **A Heart Under The Greed**

King Dice sighed as he swept the floors of the casino. It had been quite a mess after the two boys had kicked the monster out of the casino and left him to leave the island in shame that two kids had kicked his butt. He sighed as he finally got the floors swept. "Okay, walls fixed and floors swept," he said. "Better get the mop."

Just as he was about to do so, he heard a scuffle outside and grew curious, looking outside and his eyes widened in horror.

Mugman was trapped in the alleyway and three people stood over him menacingly. King Dice normally wouldn't have looked twice, but he recognized the three to be frequent gamblers who lost their money most of the time. Quickly, he got to the door that opened to the alleyway that the four were in and he arrived just in time too.

"You might have gotten rid of that monster, but now you owe us," said one thug. "You see, we owed debts and we weren't released from our contracts."

"So you're going to help us pay off those debts," another thug said, grabbing Mugman's arms.

The small mug whimpered. "Please, leave me alone," he begged them.

"How cute," the third thug sneered. "How much to you think that rusted tea kettle will pay to get him back?"

"Oh, enough to pay our debts and then some," said the first thug.

"Enough."

The unexpected voice behind them made them turn sharply to see King Dice was standing there with his arms crossed and he didn't look too happy. "King Dice," the second thug said. "Hey, we'll have that money soon."

The owner of the casino shook his head. "I'm not collecting those debts the monster was," he said. "You'll have to take it up with him."

"He's not here," said the third thug.

"Oh, but he knows where you three are and he'll hunt you down for that payment," King Dice said. "Now, let the boy go and get out of here."

"You don't tell us what to do!" The first thug said.

The owner of the casino snapped his fingers and instantly, the casino mini-bosses came out, each one looking ready to battle. "Teach these three a lesson, will you?" He asked them.

The mini-bosses didn't need to be asked twice, especially after seeing the thugs were bullying Mugman and they moved in, scattering the three thugs while Mugman pulled back and huddled in a corner of the alley. Seeing this, King Dice moved towards him and stood over him. "Come on, kid," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Let's get you inside."

The small mug whimpered fearfully and curled up in fear as the owner of the casino picked him up, being gentle, which was a surprise. He felt something come around him before feeling the boss move out of the alley and back into the casino, locking the door behind him so that the thugs wouldn't get in.

King Dice had wrapped the right side of his suit around Mugman, not caring if his suit got dirty. He felt the kid stop shaking and looked down to see the small mug was looking up at him with uncertainty. "Hey, just calm down, kid," he said, keeping his voice at a comforting tone.

Sniffling, Mugman began to calm down, but was still wondering why the owner of the casino was helping him. He was soon set down on a chair and watched at King Dice pulled out a first aid kit and gently took Mugman's right arm in his hands. "Did those thugs hurt you, kid?" He asked.

Mugman shook his head. "No," he said. "But that one squeezed my arm hard."

Dice gently pressed his gloved fingers into the kid's arm and felt him flinch when he gently pressed a finger into the forearm. Examining it, he saw it was just bruised and nodded, pulling out some ointment. "This should help," he said, applying the ointment to the bruise and wrapping it up.

The small mug looked at him. "Why did you help me?" He asked. "My brother and I…,"

"Showed me that I was a fool to even go into business with that monster," the boss monster said as he finished treating him. "There. That should heal in a couple days."

Mugman looked at him curiously, cocking his head to the side. "You're…You're really nice," he said.

King Dice looked a bit rueful. "Eh, not always, kid," he said. "You've seen my greedy side."

"Yeah, but…you didn't have to help me, but you did."

The owner of the casino sighed. "I know those thugs, kid," he said. "They owe a lot of money and they try to get people to pay ransom for their loved one's return after they've been kidnapped."

He turned to him. "Elder Kettle already put me through the ringer for letting you and your brother get involved with that monster," he said. "I don't want to cause more trouble for the guy."

He watched as the small mug lightly jumped down from the chair and went up to him, holding up both arms in a sign of wanting to be picked up. That surprised King Dice, but he complied, picking up the small mug, who surprised him again by hugging him. "Thank you, Mr. King Dice," he said softly.

The boss monster smiled gently. "You're welcome, kid," he said. "Come on. I'm about to close up the casino. I'll take you home."

Deciding he could mop in the morning before opening up, King Dice locked up the casino and carried the young mug to where he lived. Elder Kettle met them at the door and looked relieved at seeing his charge was alright aside from some bruising. "I was worried when he didn't come home after school," he said.

"Some thugs cornered him outside the casino," King Dice said. "I took care of them."

Cuphead was nearby and overheard that and looked up at the casino owner, nodding. "Thanks for helping my brother," he said sincerely. "You've got a heart under all that greed."

Elder Kettle nodded. "I agree," he said.

Dice chuckled. "You boys take care," he said. "And you as well, Elder Kettle."

With that, he headed down the road towards his home as the three watched him leave. "Looks like if given the chance to, he can prove he can do the right thing," Elder Kettle said thoughtfully.

"He's not really a bad person after all," Mugman said. "He did stop those thugs from trying to kidnap me."

"Guess he's turned over a new leaf since we kicked that monster into next month," Cuphead said.

"Perhaps," their guardian said as he nodded. "Now, it's nearly time for bed, boys. Go get ready for bed and I'll read you a story."

The two brothers scurried upstairs and Elder Kettle stood by the door thoughtfully for a moment. King Dice certainly seemed like a changed man and helping Mugman had proved that to be true.

The casino owner did have a good heart under his greedy exterior.

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 **Okay, maybe I'm just a little harsh on King Dice, but I figured since he had been not been nice to the brothers prior, he would need a chance to prove that he really wasn't that bad, just misguided.**

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


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